Commercial Diver Cause of Death
('89-'97)
70% 60% 50% 40% 30%
Drowning asphyxia Embolism Other
20% 10% 0% It's no secret that welding underwater comes with many risks and dangers. Many welder-divers leave this field of work forever changed, some in wheelchairs and some with chronic headaches or aching limbs. Still others (one lawyer's website claims 13–17%) don't make it out at all. Having researched the death rate among underwater welders I’ve discovered that very little quantifiable information exists, but I felt sure the 13-17% figure must be grossly overestimated.
The following true stories illustrate the dangers of the commercial diving and underwater welding industry.
1989–1997 commercial diver death rate
radio down, out of air at 38m
The graph [above] breaks this down into cause of death.
Years later, Gordon joined Midco Diving and Marine Services to work as a commercial diver — an adventurous job with new challenges every day.
Published data from The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on commercial diver death rates from 1989 to 1997 concluded a rate of five deaths per year or 180/100,000 divers. As only around 3000 full-time commercial divers work in the field at any one time, five deaths per year is the most accurate assessment they could find.
When this study was conducted, it blew other figures out of the water, revealing the death rate for commercial divers to be a staggering 40 times that of the national average for all workers. These numbers are the most accurate available, though I'm assuming death rates have decreased significantly as new safety regulations have been implemented.
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Safety will always be the number one priority in the commercial diving and underwater welding profession. Many companies conduct thousands of underwater welding operations every year without incident because they remember that the safety of the diver is more important than profit, shortcuts or cost savings.
Joseph Patrick Gordon possessed natural athletic talent and was a star in both football and wrestling at Stillwater Area High School in 1997. After graduating and joining the U.S. Marine Corps, he continued his wrestling, working hard to become a leader of his class.
On October 19, Gordon was working on his pet project: installing pipe material 38m below the surface of Lake Sakakawea. With more depth comes more risk, but Gordon knew the possibilities and had trained diligently.